Brief 

Following a merger of three councils in Sydney’s Inner West, a new identity was required to unify the region. It needed to capture the Inner West’s uniquely creative community and represent the vibrant and diverse neighbourhoods living side-by-side in harmony. It would provide a framework for all communications, local events and community programs, whilst instilling pride in the local communities.

Solution:

The identity has been designed to capture the diversity and creativity that the Inner West is known for. The logo and system has been constructed around the iconic places, spaces and historic architectural forms of the area. These are used as a framework to house the progressive ideas, events and perspectives that define Inner West culture. 

Cultural context:

As one of the older areas of Sydney, the Inner West has a long and varied history, having been constantly reshaped and re-purposed by a range of people, across class and industry divides. Because of this, many places in the Inner West have, by necessity, been creatively reimagined many times, using existing structures in new and inventive ways.

Typography:
The word mark has multiple configurations based on the different physical spaces of the Inner West. These individual elements are used across communiciations to house content, and create a clear and coherent brand whilst ensuring there is ample space for creative interpretation by the in-house team and the many creative collaborators with the city.

Illustration:

The illustration style works with the shapes of the brand, as both the dna within the illustration, but also as a housing device when the artworks are looser and rely less on the shapes in their construction. All initial artworks were created with artist, Ilana Bodenstein, to give guidence and a vision for how flexible the brand can be.